De\' Andra Lyn Matthews Mr.

De' Andra Lyn Matthews

Mr. Ken Elliott

Pizza: America's Pie

Step aside apples! Pizza has become the pie that symbolizes everything American, even though it is inspired by traditional Italian food. In the 1950s, Pizza Hut opened a pizza parlor that changed the way American's feed their families, and became the largest pizza franchise in the country. Other pizza franchises have also become household names, such as Dominos and Little Caesar's, but Pizza Hut remains the most successful and well-known. In order to understand why Pizza Hut has become comparable to such franchise legends as McDonald's and Taco Bell, one can easily compare aspects of this business's performance to its competitors. One such competitor is Papa John's Pizza, which has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. Pizza Hut meets or exceeds Papa John's standards in customer service, delivery time, and understanding of their customer's needs.

Pizza Hut offers exceptional customer service to its customers, while Papa John's Pizza offers only mediocre customer service. In order to evaluate popular opinion about the customer service at both Pizza Hut and Papa John's, a survey was conducted in an internet chat room. Overwhelmingly, Pizza Hut was reported as having superior customer service, while positive experiences with Papa John's customer service were a striking minority (ICQ, 2005). Examples of excellent Pizza Hut customer service which those surveyed reported include that Pizza Hut often has several employees taking orders at one time so that phone calls are left on hold for a shorter period of time, or that managers will send a free pop with an order if a customer was left on hold for too long (ICQ, 2005). Papa John's, on the other hand, is reported to often have only one worker handling several duties at once within the store, and customers are often left on hold for significant periods of time (ICQ, 2005). In one reported incident, a Papa John's would-be customer was left on hold for over two hours, then had the call disconnected by an improperly trained employee (ICQ, 2005).

Pizza Hut also has a better track record with handling complaints. Several chat room members reported incidents of disappointing service at Pizza Hut. However, when complaints were taken up there was sufficient incentive to continue using that company, such as providing the customer with a discount on the next order, or a completely free meal (ICQ, 2005). Papa John's was reported by several pizza-eaters as making excuses as to why the problem was not the fault of the company, rather than extending an apologetic offer (ICQ, 2005).